Harry Potter and the Dido Chronicles
by zArkham
Summary: Follows Harry from having to face down Voldemort to years in the future. Harry tries to come to grips with his on/off relationship with Hermione as well as other women in his life. Each chapter based on a Dido song. Expansion of and contains Ginny's In India Now - Harry/Multi
1. Northern Skies

**DISCLAIMER THE FIRST: **_It is by __**JKR's**__ writing alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the grace of coffee that thoughts acquire speed, the back acquires pains, the pains become a warning. The warning is that I make no money from this. All lyrics used are owned by __**Dido **__& her label._

**DISCLAIMER THE SECOND**: This is an AU take on JKR's work and a song-fic to boot. Each chapter will be based on a Dido Song (some chapters might have elements of two songs) – This is an expanded version of my previous fic _**Ginny's In India Now**_. I highly recommend you listening to the song first. I suggest the remix version which can be found on YouTube.

**CHAPTER ONE – NORTHERN SKIES**

_**I have returned to northern skies**_

_**Where summer hasn't touched the clouds that pass above**_

_**I have returned to the somber grays**___

_**Of days too early to come and too hurried to stay**___

**THE GROUNDS, HOWARTS, SCOTLAND – MAY 2****nd**** 1998 – EVENING**

After all he had gone through, it all came down to this: A walk to towards his own death.

The grass barely crunched under Harry's boots as he made his way along the path away from the castle. He knew he had to take a roundabout way to the Forbidden Forest to avoid anyone who might stop him. There was no turning back now that he knew the truth. The memories Harry had seen in the pensieve proved this truth to him.

As Harry carefully made his way past bits of broken gargoyles and pieces of parapet, he found himself unable to keep from looking into the sky. Like always there was an amazing shroud of stars in the northern skies above Hogwarts. A blue-black darkness of pure emptiness filled with a million lights dancing like faerie lights.

He found familiar constellations and felt a pang of sadness when he spotted Sirius bright in Canis Major. The brilliance above made a mockery of the night sky over Privet Drive where London washed out the star's light. The northern sky seemed a living thing compared to the pale stars vainly trying to outshine the garish, artificial light of London.

To keep from being seen, Harry cut across the Quidditch pitch. When in the middle, Harry was overcome with nostalgia and stopped to once again drink in the sights and smells of all around him. He gazed up at the craggy mountains surrounding the valley. Even though summer was coming, there was a sense of the stillness of winter's grip which would never be broken. Under the glacial ice lay ancient powers and secrets. The stars glinting off the snow-capped mountains had always taken Harry's breath away and made him feel protected.

Hogwarts was lit up as Harry first remembered it that fateful September day in the boats with all the other First Years. Curious how the somber grey stone contrasted with the lights just as the snow did with the darkness of the Black Lake and Forbidden Forest. The deepest darkness bound together with light. Harry was sure there was some meaningful symbolism there.

Harry soaked up the feeling of the only true home he had ever had. Even with the recent battle and stench of fear and death in the air there was the sense of the timelessness to the ancient school. A sense of children being brought abruptly into a new and sometimes frightening world of magic. A seething cauldron of energy as generations of children eagerly rushed towards adulthood, straining at the bit to leave childhood behind.

Harry felt a sadness well up in him. He was too hurried by destiny to stay. There would be no happy graduation and one last train ride back into the unknown of adulthood for him. His story had been written before he was born and now the final act was upon him.

_**I have left a million stars**_

_**And an ocean light and clearly blue**___

_**I have left warmth of the sun**_

_**And a million adventures not yet begun**___

Harry hurried down an infrequently used path towards the Black Lake. He wanted to get away from the pitch which held so many memories of good times which threatened to drown him in remembrance. Memories which might weaken his resolve to do what had to be done.

When Harry finally ended up at the shoreline he found his feet had taken him to the same spot he and Hermione had tried to comfort Hagrid after Buckbeak had been sentenced to death. In his mind's eye he could see the huge man choke up and weep like a small child. Another instance of the contrast of opposites. So much like Dumbledore; the kindly grandfather and manipulative schemer all in one.

Harry shook his head as he pushed that thought away as he looked out at the inky vastness of the Black Lake. So different from how blue the ocean had looked lit by a million stars. He had stared at it long into the night the long watch to see if Dobby would live or not. The sea had called to him, to his Potter blood.

While at Grimmauld Place, Harry had come across a historical tract about many of the prominent Houses of Britain. While in the wilderness Harry had found reading about the exploits of his ancestors had eased the weight of Slytherin's locket when it had been hard to bear. Within its pages he had found tales of how the Potters had not only been brewers, potion makers, diplomats and warriors but also bold merchant explorers.

The Viking blood of Harald Harada burned brightly in his line and many a Potter had hoisted sail to seek fortunes among far away lands. As he had looked out at the timeless sea from the cliffs of Shell Cottage, Harry couldn't help but think of all the million of adventures which would never be. It was not his destiny to stare across an ocean into the rising sun of a new day filled with promise.

Harry sighed and wiped away a tear running down his cheek. No, the warmth of the sun was not his fate. He was to fall into darkness and be consumed by it to bring about a new dawn for others.

_**For once there was beauty here for me**___

_**Under the wide northern skies**___

_**And once there was magic here for me**___

_**Under the wide northern skies**___

Seeing no one watching for him, Harry carefully worked his way towards Hagrid's hut. As he did, more memories came unbidden to him. Of Norbert, of Ron burping up slugs and the tooth-breaking cakes served with tea. These thoughts drew Harry to look up at Hogwarts, brilliant against the wide northern sky. Again Harry seemed compelled to stop. He reflected on all the good times and bad which he had in the castle which loomed over him.

There had been so much magic here for him. Making friends, learning spells and just the little day to day joys he had been denied at the Dursleys. He remembered little bits of time fresh as the day they happened, like they were frozen in amber.

Harry remembered the bats flitting about on Halloween and the fairies as they danced among the Yule trees. Of Professor Flitwick seemingly dancing across the stage as he conducted the choir. The odd comments Dumbledore always seemed to delight in making at feasts. The surprise at seeing a cat transform into the stern Professor McGonagall.

These memories stirred up deeper and more poignant memories. The look of sadness on Hermione's face as her conjured birds circled her wand. The unblinking gaze of Luna as she spoke of her mother's death. The look of steadfastness in Neville's face when he told Harry he wouldn't fail him in regards to Nagini. The myriad of times with the red-heads of the Weasleys. Pranks by the Twins, Ron's face as he contemplated his next chess move and the softness of Ginny's lips.

_**I saw trees as green and this dark as blue**___

_**Heartbreak and poetry with deeper roots**___

_**Now I know this is lonely country**___

_**And leads me only back to the sea**_

The Forbidden Forest loomed ahead of him. The ever-green canopy stretched out in front of him like a verdant sea. Just as the blue of the ocean had called to him, so too the green so dark it was almost blue beckoned.

To Harry it felt like he was coming back full circle to the beginning. The first time he had really met an aspect of Voldemort was within this forest in his First Year. The blood of the dead unicorn seeping into the ground like a poem of heartbreak and woe. Now his steps would take him back into the deep recesses of the forest.

Harry stopped at the edge of the forest. The path through the trees had been made by the Ford Anglia back in his Second Year. If Voldemort wasn't there after all, would he be able to walk all the way to Aragog's old lair? He knew there would be no magical car or helpful centaur to save him this time. The trees swaying in the wind reminded him of the waves. This was the ocean for him; an ocean where his bones would lie under the swaying boughs.

Knowing he shouldn't, Harry look back for one last look at Hogwarts. All his friends, all his hopes were there, behind those somber grey walls. They would all mourn him but it was for them he was knowingly going to his death. His love for them demanded it.

He frowned. Harry knew the Headmaster had manipulated him. Created in him a boy who was scarred, alone and desperate for acceptance. A boy who would find friends, find a surrogate family and find love. He would find people for whom he would die for. Harry would die for them because of his love for them and because he was still, after all he had been through, that lonely, unwanted boy from under the stairs.

_**For **__**once there was beauty here for me**___

_**Under the wide northern skies**___

_**And once there was magic here for me**___

_**Under the wide northern skies**___

Harry did a quick check to be sure he had the Stone; his wand ready in his hand. Once inside the Forest there would be no turning back. The Forest would be his death. As if to stave away the inevitable, if only for a few moments more, He turned away and his eyes swept up and down the valley and the surrounding mountains. Upon looking up, Harry was caught up again in the brilliance of the wide northern sky. Somehow in the vastness of stars, he felt a calmness come over him.

Yes, there had been magic here for him. Perhaps enough for an entire lifetime. Couldn't it be said ever day after that fateful Halloween had been a gift? Here had he not found magic, beauty and love? Isn't that what any life should have, no matter how long or short?

Harry's eyes dropped to the turrets and parapets of Hogwarts. Yes it would have to be enough. Yet Harry's heart was heavy. While he knew it was for the best, there was the wish that things could have been different.

Regardless of how painful the memory was, Harry could not help but remember the softness of Ginny's lips upon his. The feeling of her breasts under her sweater as they hugged and kissed under their tree by the lake. The dreamy look Luna had as they connected in ways no one else ever had. Then there was Hermione.

Harry shivered at the how Hermione had felt in his arms as he danced her around the tent. Holding her close to help her through the pain of Ron leaving them. The look in her eye as she broke their embrace and led him to her bed. The sudden desire as their clothes fell away; the moist heat between her legs. The sound of her voice as she cried out his name in her release.

Oh yes, there had been magic here for Harry but at the same time it could be a lonely country. A place where people had turned their backs upon him like they had before. A place where friends had turn away from him in jealousy. A place where Hermione had chosen Ron over him with a hug and deep, soulful kiss.

With a long sigh, Harry turned back towards the Forbidden Forest. It was time to face the destiny that Fate had written out for him. As much as his heart was breaking at the thought of Ron and Hermione having a happy life filled with family, he knew he had to face Voldemort. He had to give them that chance at happiness he would never have.

With a briskness in his step, Harry made his way into the forest. His eyes quickly adjusted and the darkness of the forest seemed less forbidding and more like a comforting blanket being pulled over him. Harry knew it was more of a death shroud as his life was rapidly coming to an end.

Yet feeling the ancient rhythms of life in the forest, the smells, the sounds and the energy, Harry felt the same sort of peace he had seen in the stars. As he made his way deeper into the forest, it almost felt like the forest was welcoming him home, drawing him into a loving embrace of a parent finding their long lost child who had come home at last.

Harry smiled at this imagery as the forest's presence washed over him. Soon he wouldn't be a lost child. He would be in the bosom of his dead family and friends. He would finally be loved. Even more importantly he would finally know peace.

_**I have returned**_

_**I have returned**_

_**I have returned**_

**A/N**: Once again iTunes works against me. Just as before with _Ginny's In India Now_, having certain songs come up multiple times on my iPod got me thinking of things. When the Muse calls, one must listen. I'd like to thank my wife for her excellent beta reading of this.

**Changes**: While this is an expansion of my earlier fic, _Ginny's In India Now_, there is one major change. As shown in this fic, Harry and Hermione did hook up briefly after Ron left them in the wilderness. Yet just like in canon, she seems to give Harry the boot for Ron the minute he shows back up. As shown in my previous fic, she'll regret that but in this fic we'll get the entire back-story only hinted at in GIIN.

**Judge Me Not**! Since this is a song-fic, the chapters obviously relate to the song. Some like this chapter and the next will be small. Other chapters (like Chapter 9) will be quite large. You've been warned.


	2. My Lover's Gone

**DISCLAIMER THE FIRST**: It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the grace of coffee that thoughts acquire speed, the back acquires pains, the pains become a warning. The warning is that I make no money from this. All lyrics used are owned by Dido & her label.

**DISCLAIMER THE SECOND**: This is an AU take on JKR's work and a song-fic to boot. Each chapter will be based on a **Dido** song. I highly recommend you listening to the song first. There are many versions on YouTube although none of the visuals are what of when I think of the song. (Sort of see it set in a New England seaport where a wife wakes to realize her husband's ship has gone down)

**CHAPTER TWO – MY LOVER'S GONE**

_**My lover's gone  
his boots no longer by my door  
he left at dawn  
and as I slept I felt him go  
Returns no more  
I will not watch the ocean**_

**GREAT HALL, HOWARTS, SCOTLAND – MAY 2nd 1998 – EVENING**

Hermione jerked awake with a sense of dread.

She looked around to find the Great Hall still awash in frenzied activity. She could hear Professor McGonagall's stern voice as she barked out orders. Everywhere were signs of the hurried bolstering of Hogwarts' defenses.

Hermione shook her head in a vain attempt to clear it. She realized she must have drifted off. She had just sat down to rest a bit. Rushing down into the Chamber and back after Harry had opened it had drained her meager reserves. Hermione knew she hadn't recovered yet from her ordeal at the hands of Bellatrix LeStrange.

She stood. The sense of unease was still there. It was all around her and inside her at the same time. A feeling of loss. It made her shiver.

She saw Neville coming down the stairs with a determined look on his face. Hermione could barely recognize Neville between his injuries and the fiery resolve he seem to radiate. Only in Harry had she seen such passion bleeding off like a palpable aura.

Harry. Hermione's heart skipped as she realized how her sense of dread was related to Harry. She ran to her friend, "Neville! Have you seen Harry?"

Hermione hadn't seen him after returning from the Chamber. He had said he was going to the Headmaster's office but he wasn't there when they checked. Ron had figured Harry had probably returned to the Room of Requirements. With people possibly still in it, it was important to double-check if the room was destroyed or just the junk-room section of it. Ron had gone off to check that while she had sat down to rest.

Neville shook his head, "Not recently. He and I talked about the importance of killing Voldemort's familiar. He told me about a prophecy and how he was the one supposedly marked by the Dark Lord. Harry felt it wasn't a good thing to trust too much in the prophecy since it might still relate to me. He wanted me to know just in case."

Hermione sense of dread increased, "Do you know where he went after that? I sent Ron to check on the Room of Requirements."

Neville shook his head again, "No, I passed Ron on his way down to the kitchens. He said Harry wasn't in the room if he'd ever been there." Neville's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "You think he's gone to Voldemort don't you?"

"I…I…Merlin I think he has," Hermione stammered.

Neville just looked at her. She couldn't look away from the question in his eyes.

Hermione took a deep breath as she closed her own eyes. She tried to reach out with her feelings. She and Harry had always had a connection especially after he had saved her from the troll in First Year. She hadn't really felt it so strongly till the night when she could just tell Harry was in trouble which turned out to be Nagini masquerading as Bathilda Bagshot.

She felt Neville lay a hand on her shoulder, "Hermione…what has happened to Harry?"

"He's gone Neville. I can't feel him anymore. I felt him go while I slept. I woke knowing I'd never see him again." Hermione said. She opened her eyes to see Neville staring at her in disbelief.

"My lover's gone, Neville. Harry Potter has gone to his death."

_**My lover's gone**_

_**No earthly ships will ever bring him home again**_

_**Bring him home again**_

Hermione walked like a ghost past people working as fast as they could as Voldemort's deadline approached. None of the activity touched her. Her Harry was gone and it might have been her actions which helped push him away.

She found herself on one of the balconies overlooking the Black Lake. Looking at the inky black water, speckled with the reflection of the thousands of stars bright in the northern skies brought back a memory.

While in the wilderness Harry had been reading a book she had found him in the Black library. It had stories of famous people from the various important Houses of Britain. Hermione could hear the excitement in Harry's voice as he'd read bits of it too her. How his ancestors would set sail for lands far away to trade and explore. How his lineage was filled with Viking blood from the likes of Harald Harada.

Hermione chocked back a sob. She remembered how in their First Year she had labeled him a hero. How he had denied it even as he would go on to prove it again and again. Harry's heroism was built on his selflessness. He gave and gave even when he got so little in return.

Now he was dead at the hands of a monster. Would his body be mutilated for the Death Eater's enjoyment? Or would it simply be left on the forest floor to be eaten by scavengers? Hermione looked down on the lake. Harry deserved a hero's bier, a Viking one. He deserved to have his body laid into a ship, filled with tokens from all those he had touched over the years. Then to see that ship set out into the Black Lake burning brightly to save his body from the ignominy of being defiled.

The sob she had tried to contain finally escaped her lips. Hermione knew no earthly ship would bring Harry home nor would he get his Viking funeral no matter how much he deserved it.

Her lover was gone.

_**My lover's gone**_

_**I know that kiss will be my last**_

_**No more his song**_

_**The tune upon his lips has passed**_

_**I sing alone**_

_**while I watch the ocean**_

Hermione angrily wiped tears off her cheek. How could she have been so stupid? So blind? How could she have failed to see the look in Harry's piercing green eyes as he hugged her after opening the Chamber? The look of sadness on his face as she looked over her shoulder as she went down after Ron to retrieve a basilisk fang?

How could she not know that kiss, that poignant kiss he surprisingly had given her would be their last? It was a kiss good-bye. How could she have been so blindingly, wretchedly clueless?

Hermione hugged her torso as if to keep herself together for she felt like she might fall apart at any moment. Questions she had ignored for so long raged in her brain but now they could not be silenced.

Why had she pursued Ron in the face of the problems the pair had had since First Year? Was she so pathetic that if she couldn't have Harry then she would settle for Ron? Was she so unsure of herself she would latch on to Ron rather than seek out other wizards? Hadn't she caught Justin, Anthony and even Neville giving her the eye occasionally in D.A. meetings?

Why had she almost immediately taken Ron back into her heart after he returned? All of them had suffered under the locket's spell. Harry had so much darkness in his life yet he had resisted while Ron had buckled under his own insecurities and jealousies and abandoned them.

Hermione worried her lip. Ron, the one who let his pride and jealousies get him every time. Harry had always supported him, forgave him and was there for him. Yet he was rewarded for his loyalty with betrayal. She knew in her own way she had betrayed him as well.

While Ron was handsome, how did his good looks compare to the look of caring in Harry's eyes as he took her in his arms to dance away the pain in the wilderness? How did Ron's bored indifference stack up against the feeling of Harry rubbing her back and speaking soft words of encouragement into her hair as she sobbed against his shoulder?

How could she have gone back so quickly to Ron when she had given herself so willingly to Harry? She could still feel the heat of their bodies as they lay together, sweaty and satiated. Hermione shivered at the memory of Harry inside her and how she had cried out his name over and over as he pushed her past the edge of pleasure.

Harry had been there for her just as much as he had been for Ron. Yet after all the years together, at this last moment she had failed him. Hermione remembered the bitter-sweet look on his face as he had watch Ron twirl her around before she lost herself in snogging. It was so typical of Harry that he put his friend's happiness in front of his own. No matter how he had felt, he seemed pleased that his friends were happy.

Hermione's heart thumped in her chest at this thought. Was the reason she was alone now due to the fact Harry had felt nothing to live for? That he could go to his death alone and unwanted?

A chill swept through her. Harry's life was filled with abandonment. Every time Harry was given something, be it a friend, a godfather, freedom or now a secret lover, it had been taken away. Hermione felt her temples begin to throb in pain. She had been the last in a long list of disappointments in Harry's life. He started with nothing and he had ended with nothing and so nothing had kept him from going to his death.

_**My lover's gone**_

_**His boots no longer by my door**_

_**He left at dawn**_

_**And as I slept I felt him go  
Returns no more**_

_**I will not watch the ocean**_

The Sonorous enhanced voice of Voldemort called her back from her bleak thoughts. Hermione quickly raced through the Great Hall to the main gates. She hardly noticed all the others who were doing the same. Even Ron calling her name barely registered. In moments she was outside and waiting for her eyes to adjust. She gasped when they finally did.

Harry Potter lay dead in Hagrid's arms.

Hermione didn't feel Ron squeeze her hand or even comprehend what Voldemort was gloating about. All she could see was the dead body of her friend, her confident, her lover. The wizard she had betrayed because of her own insecurities.

Even with their friendship, their connection, Hermione had let her own feelings of inadequacies keep her from thinking Harry would want her. Even after she and Harry had becoming lovers, Hermione now realized why she had jumped back into Ron's arms.

He had been safe.

Ron wouldn't turn her away because fame drew the rich, the beautiful and the powerful to him like Harry would. Ron wouldn't have someone like Daphne Greengrass or Susan Bones making a play for him. With Ron she'd never have to deal with having her man taken away and making her feel ugly and unloved. She wouldn't have to compete with Ginny Weasley's fiery beauty again.

Hermione looked at the corpse of her friend wishing desperately she could see those piercing green eyes open again. To hear him laugh at a joke by Ron or see him fly like a madman on his Firebolt. To feel his lips upon hers again. She wished she had a chance to have Harry look at her again in wonder like he had done at the Yule Ball. The one time when Hermione had felt like a princess instead of an ugly duckling.

Harry's lifeless body was a testament to her failure. She had been given the chance to give Harry a reason to live, a reason to fight. Was that what Dumbledore had meant by the power of love? Would Harry have fought like the Gryffindor lion to return to the arms of his lover instead of meekly walking to his doom?

Had her lack of self-esteem doomed them all to Voldemort's rule?

Hermione looked on dumbly as Neville strode out to challenge Voldemort. Another true Gryffindor lion. One who acted instead of staring in mute inactivity as she and Ron where doing. For all Ron's complaints of not being able to outshine his brothers, at the cusp of history he stood there silent and impotent.

Her lover was gone. There would be no last minute miracle like a heroic centaur or selfless house-elf to save him this time. Harry had passed on. The song of his life was over and no earthly ship would ever bring him home again.

She had felt him go. Even in death he had said good-bye. No matter the betrayal, Harry's last act was thinking of his friends.

Hermione realized she was truly alone. Ron would never be able to understand what they had done. The guilt they shared and what their petty schoolyard games had brought about.

Merlin save them all.

**XxXxX**

**A/N**: I have come to the conclusion that I'm better off writing what my Muse is pushing on me rather than agonizing over the delay in Rejected Path. Better to get this out and then work on it when I'm ready to. (I think I'm finally getting there!)

**Hermione Fans**: Okay people, just so you know, Hermione is a very, very conflicted person who has her own family issues as well as self-esteem issues. So she will often act very contrarian. This is a girl who is ruled by logic and then crushed over Lockhart. A gal who believes in authority figures even as they hosed Harry at almost every turn. A gal who in canon fell for a guy who treated her mostly like crap. So just be warned she's going to be a bit of a confusing mix of contradictions for most of this fic.


	3. Hunter

**DISCLAIMER THE FIRST: **_It is by __**JKR's**__ writing alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the grace of coffee that thoughts acquire speed, the back acquires pains, the pains become a warning. The warning is that I make no money from this. All lyrics used are owned by __**Dido **__& her label._

**DISCLAIMER THE SECOND**: This is an AU take on JKR's work and a song-fic to boot. Each chapter will be based on a Dido song. I _**highly recommend**_ you listening to the song first.

**CHAPTER SPECIFIC DISCLAIMER**: This is _**not**_ a Ron Weasley bashing chapter. Yes Ron is being shown in a very unflattering light but this is just taking character traits shown in canon and extending them later into his life. Not everyone goes through traumatic events and is changed. Some merely become more of how they already were.

**CHAPTER THREE – HUNTER**

_**With one light on**_

_**In one room**_

_**I know you're up**_

_**When I get home**_

_**With one small step**_

_**Upon the stair**_

_**I know your look**_

_**When I get there**_

_**The unread book**_

_**And painful look**_

_**The PV's on**_

_**A player is down**_

_**With one long pause**_

_**Then you begin**_

_**Oh look what**_

_**The cat's brought in**_

**#13 WICKEN LODE, CAMBRIDGESHIRE – APRIL 29****th**** 2004 – EVENING**

Hermione wished she was surprised to hear the sound of the PV coming from the den but in her heart she sort of expected it. Ron should have been at a tutoring session tonight but it was obvious he had blown it off again. As she dropped her purse on the table and hung up her car keys, she mentally went through the catalog of excuses Ron had used in the past and wondered if tonight he would come up with something new or go with an old standby.

Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself. She figured Ron probably would go with his favorite and talk about how rough work was. It never failed to amaze her how Ron could use this excuse considering she was taking a full load of courses at Cambridge, plus doing research on top of projects for the Ministry or one of Harry's new charities. Yet Ron somehow thought a day working at Weasley Wizarding Whizzes somehow trumped all of that.

She paused at the door of the den to see Ron nursing a beer (with three empty bottles already on the table) watching a Quidditch match. One of the players was being attended to by a medi-witch while the announcers talked about the upcoming penalty shot.

She could see at least four stuffed chew toys in front of the PV and Crookshanks watching from the couch, his tail twitching. Ron had a habit of throwing things at the PV when he got angry at a referee's call. Crookshanks had taken to trying to pounce on what ever he threw before it hit. For Crookshanks sake, Hermione had created a bag of the soft cat toys near Ron's recliner. It gave her familiar some exercise and kept the PV intact. Ron had already destroyed one by throwing a beer bottle through the screen.

Hermione pursed her lips. Ron still seemed to shy away from most things Muggle but he'd certainly taken to beer. She regretted the day Harry had taken them on a tour of the Samuel Smith's Old Brewery in Tadcaster. Hermione understood he was proud to show off a company his family had owned (by proxy) since it had been founded in 1758. Ever since then Ron had a taste for the drink he'd tried there. Too much of a taste in Hermione's opinion.

The stair step down in the den creaked as usual as Hermione entered. Amazingly this soft sound caused Ron to turn around. His face was already in the semi-sullen look she knew he would have.

"Oh…so you're finally home. Sometimes I think you forget you live here," Ron said.

"Who's winning?" Hermione asked while ignoring the snarky comment. She saw the Winbourne Wasps were playing the Norfolk Knights. She felt it would surprise him when she didn't immediately ask why he wasn't at class. In addition she _was_ curious. She had followed the Wasps since her Second Year when she'd bought a Wizarding Wireless and more so after Alicia made the team. Of course it was difficult to know who to root for when they played Puddlemere United since Ollie was now their starting keeper.

"Huh? Oh…uh…the Knights are ahead 210 to 170," Ron said as he blinked in surprise.

Hermione gave a tight smile, "I take it you are unhappy with the game?" She knew that while Ron was a rabid Cannons fan, he would root for the Wasps. Since the Cannons rarely won, the Wasps were his fall back team since they had made it to the semi-finals twice since 2000.

Ron scowled, "Yeah. Bloody bicorn's wouldn't be able to see a foul if it happened right in front of them! Took a bloke getting knocked of his fucking broom before they final called one!"

"Language, Ron!" Hermione tisked automatically.

"Right…right…language," Ron muttered as he turned back towards the action. One of the things Ron had been taken to task for by the Auror corps was his language. Since then he had made half-hearted attempts to change.

Hermione made her way over to Crookshanks and petted him. He stretched and purred but didn't move. It was obvious to her that her familiar was tired from all the pouncing. Old age was catching up on Crookshanks at last. Hermione knew she would lose him soon. Hedwig was also getting long in tooth or beak as it were. Harry had mentioned how he had started sending out his long distance owl post from his office to keep from tiring her out. Hermione felt he also did it because knew Hedwig hated for any other owl to deliver Harry's post and would be put out if she knew about it.

As Crookshanks continued to purr, Hermione finally felt it was time for the dance to begin. "So, no class tonight?" She asked; her tone neutral and non-accusatory.

"Nah! Just a balls-up day at the Whizzes today. Verity couldn't come in because her son has the flu or an ear infection or some rot like that. Fred had me up to my elbows in work on top of George testing two new products on me. I swear my hair was pink till closing! I wasn't up for a class after a day like today," Ron said. He made it sound like he had been cleaning out the Aegean Stables all day.

_Bingo! Hermione "Bookworm" Granger scores once more for the Hogwarts team!_ She thought. Of late she had been getting more and more accurate in guessing which excuse Ron would use. Tonight had been no exception.

"Must have been rough," Hermione said. She doubted Ron would hear the sarcasm in her voice. She knew he probably wouldn't ask about her day. He rarely did because it showed how much she did in a day which made Ron's days at the store seem like a walk in the park.

"I'll say!" Ron said after taking another deep swig of beer. As expected, the sarcasm had sailed right over his ginger head.

"Then again, Ronald, the Auror's test is in a month. You do realize if you fail it again you won't get another chance. You only got this retake because Harry pulled some strings." Hermione pointed out.

Ron scowled again. He usually did when Hermione reminded him of the favors Harry had done for him ever since Voldemort fell. "Yeah well I wouldn't be in this mess if Harry hadn't bailed out of the Auror Corps on me!"

Hermione fought to not roll her eyes. It was the same old complaint. For some reason Ron had thought Harry would stay on with the Aurors after the fall-out of the War had been settled. It never seemed to occur to him that he, Harry and Neville had been granted special status due to their fame and the losses in the Auror corps from the War. It had been a special exception during an exceptional time. When things died down, standards had to be enforced and Ron had failed those miserably.

Harry, on the other hand, had left to deal with his vast wealth. He felt he could make a bigger difference through charity and the Wizengamot then by chasing criminals and wannabe dark wizards. He had done his time, he had said to Hermione. Neville had felt the same way as he took up his own responsibilities as Lord Longbottom. Both had wanted new challenges. Of course Ron blamed his troubles not on his own poor scholastic skills but on Harry leaving. It was an old song and dance for him; blaming Harry for his own problems. What was worse was Harry still covered for Ron when he could.

For the last year or so Hermione had begun to wonder if this was part of the problem. Just like Magical Britain had expected the _Boy-Who-Lived_ to save them (without them having to lift a finger) Ron also seemed to expect Harry to bail him out of holes he had dug for himself.

"Honestly, Ronald, that excuse is getting quite tiresome. You chose not to go back and finish your NEWTs and you continue to blow off your tutoring. If you aren't going to put forth the effort than just admit it." Hermione said.

Before Ron could make another excuse, Hermione held up her hand. "Don't interrupt. Your twenty-four years old and _supposedly_ an adult. You need to stop blaming others for your own problems, especially Harry. Now, I think we both know you won't be ready for your test so I thought a different path is what you should concentrate on. One you already do spend a lot of time doing."

Ron looked at her with a blank look on his face. Hermione could tell he was trying to see if this was going to be a good thing or not. He knew what she thought was good didn't usually match what he thought was good.

"I was talking with Harry earlier and he thinks he can get you a shot at trying out as the Cannons reserve keeper. Considering how often their starting keeper goes out with injuries, this could be a really big break for you. Your heart has always been with Quidditch and I think there is far too much paperwork for your liking as an Auror." Hermione said.

That last bit was the primary reason she felt Ron had problems with being an Auror; he never had seen all the paperwork side of the job. He'd only seen the physical, exciting part of chasing criminals. He had constantly moaned about how filling out reports had been worst than Binn's class.

Instead of being shocked and pleased at this exciting news, Hermione was surprised to see Ron's face turn suspicious. "Why were you talking to Harry?" Ron finally asked with a bit of accusation in his tone.

This time Hermione did roll her eyes, "Why? Well besides the fact he's been my friend for going on thirteen years this September? I told you I've been working with him on elements of the FREE Initiative. Honestly Ronald, sometimes I don't think you listen to half of the things I say to you."

Seeing Ron still looking at her as if he didn't believe her, she went on, "I also told you that Harry was coming down to Cambridge today as part of a fact-finding mission. He's part of a new committee on the Wizengamot to work on an eventual University program for Magicals like they have in North America, India and Japan. I had lunch with him and a few of the other committee members since they wanted to hear how I coped with having to catch up on my Muggle school work before being able to get tested so I could get into Cambridge."

"How come you didn't say anything about it this morning?" Ron asked.

"Do you remind me every time Harry's going to be in London? Why should I have mentioned it to you? You see Harry far more than I do as it is." Hermione said exasperatedly.

"Well I could have flooed up and joined you!" Ron said with a bit of a whine in his voice.

"And listened to a bunch of academics go over education reform? Ron, we weren't having a pint over a game of darts down at the pub. It was very much a working luncheon. You would have been bored silly." Hermione answered back. Not only was Ron blaming Harry for his problems getting old, his trying to monitor the times Harry and her were together without him being there was getting down-right annoying.

Ron just glowered at her.

Hermione huffed, "Now are we going to argue whether or not I can see my friend without letting my boyfriend know about it or are we going to talk about this amazing opportunity for you? One that could get you a starting slot on the Chudley Canons if you apply yourself."

Ron seemed a bit blinkered as it dawned on him what truly had been offered to him. Typical. He had focused on she being with Harry for a time and tuned out what she had said even when it related to his beloved Cannons!

"Merlin! If I get this slot…I could probably even get a chance to play a few games this season!" Ron said as he suddenly jumped to his feet. "To hell with the Auror corps! I'll show Ginny who's the real Quidditch player in the family!"

This time it was Hermione who blinked in surprise. Sometimes Ron's way of thinking really made no sense to her. How his gaining a spot as a reserve keeper could compare to the fact Ginny had been playing professionally as one of the Holyhead starting chasers since 2001 with two years as a Harpies reservist right out of Hogwarts mystified her.

"Well I think you need to talk to Harry and the Twins about this. If you are going to do this you need to do it all the way and that means practicing between now and the try-out. I'm sure Fred and George will give you the time off." Hermione said trying to inject some practicality into the conversation since it was obvious Ron was lost in his own head. By the dreamy expression on his face he was no doubt thinking of Cannon fans cheering him after a close save.

"Yes! Of course you're right 'mione!" Ron said using the nickname he knew she disliked but kept on using because he felt it was cute. He rushed up and hugged her and then began kissing her. The stink of beer on his breath almost made her gag.

Ron broke the kiss, "Let's say we celebrate this opportunity tonight?" The look in his eyes told her exactly what he meant.

Hermione sighed, "Ron, I'm tired, I'm hungry and I just put in a twelve hour day which started at 4am. I'd be about as much fun as a garden gnome in bed right now. Besides I have to finish up some notes from the luncheon meeting. How about we save the celebration till after you make the team?"

Ron abruptly dropped the hug with a faint look of disgust on his face. "Really? You want to wait that long? Merlin Hermione, we barely do it anymore!"

Hermione sighed, "I didn't say I wasn't going to have sex with you till you made the team. I just said tonight I'm tired, hungry and I've got a lot to do before I can even think of going to bed."

"You always put work in front of us!" Ron scoffed.

"Really Ron? You really want to go there?" Hermione growled. "I don't smell any dinner waiting on the table for me. I wonder if you did any of the chores around the house when you got home. No? I guess that's just more things for me to do before I go to bed. If you want more time from me than you need to pick up the slack!"

"I pay the bills around here," Ron growled. Luckily he didn't say anything about house elves. The first (and last time) he brought up the subject hadn't ended well for him. She still saw it in his eyes though when the house work came up.

In regards to paying the bills, Hermione couldn't help by laughed mockingly, "Even if you make starting keeper for the Cannons, I'll still make triple that after University with the jobs I've been offered already. And that's just the starting pay which also doesn't take into account some of the patents I've got in the hopper. Besides I offered to pay my half of the bills and you refused. I seem to recall you said it wasn't seemly for a wizard not to be the bread winner, yes?"

Ron turned red and looked ready to start shouting but Hermione just turned and walked away, "Since it is obvious there is no dinner made for me, I need to get on that." She said over her shoulder.

Hermione heard Ron muttering curses as he sat back down with a heavy thud in his recliner. Crookshanks came speeding out of the den and followed her into the kitchen. Sure enough there were Chinese take-out cartons strewn about the kitchen table. She also saw Ron had once again not bothered to buy enough for both of them.

Hermione bent down and picked up Crookshanks' bowl which was empty. It seemed she wasn't the only one Ron hadn't provided for. She filled it up and placed it back on the floor. She petted her familiar as he eagerly ate his cat food.

"How did it come to this Crookshanks?" Hermione asked absently. Her mind was going over the long lists of disappointments which had been building over the years.

Crookshanks looked up from his bowl. His feline gaze looked as if he was accusing her of old crimes.

"You think this is my punishment for what I did Crookshanks?" Hermione asked.

Crookshanks just stared at her for a bit before going back to his meal with a dismissive twitch of his bushy tail.

Hermione sighed. Her familiar's gaze never failed to make her feel like he was disappointed in her. There were many days, like today, where she couldn't help but agree.

Hermione pushed those thoughts away; she still had far too much to do. She'd made her bed and now she had to lie in it. So she busied herself in making a quick meal. Once finished she took it towards her office. It was away from the house and shielded against magic. It was her sanctum as well as her connection to the Muggle world since it held her computer as well as a satellite connected TV.

The sound of Ron cursing another call followed her down the corridor. As she opened the heavy door, she wondered when her office had become less of a sanctum and more of a retreat.

_**If you were a king**_

_**Up there on your throne**_

_**Would you be wise enough to let me go?**_

_**For this queen you think you own**_

_**Wants to be a hunter again**_

_**I want to see the world alone again**_

_**To take a chance on life again**_

_**So let me go...**_

**FIVE MILES FROM ANYWHERE PUB, CAMBRIDGESHIRE – MAY 4****th**** 2004 – EVENING**

Hermione took another sip of her beer as the lyrics washed over her. The voice coming from the jukebox seemed to be singing directly to her. Of late she'd been feeling very much like a woman trapped in a cage even if she was a queen. Although these days she felt less of one of the famous Golden Trio and more of a prisoner in her own home.

Hermione looked around at the crowd. She thought it rather busy for a Tuesday night. Of course it was a full moon and there was energy coming off the fens. She didn't see any of her magical neighbors in the pub but she was sure everyone in the building was feeling the energy tonight. It felt like how it got right before a thunderstorm; a feeling of potential danger and change.

Hermione knew a lot of the families which kept to the Old Ways like Daphne's would be leaping bonfires and other Beltane rituals tonight. Of course the whole reason she was at the pub was because of some of those old families. She and Su Li had been working on an experiment for months leading up to tonight only to have a Ministry official show up right before it started to waive them off. Apparently some of the old families felt it was profane to test magical holy days using a mix of Muggle science and magic.

So all of her work had been wasted since they'd have to wait a year to try again if they could get permission. All of her effort deferred because some people felt offended about something they probably couldn't understand. Those same people who were out dancing and doing their ancient fertility rites while Hermione got pissed here at the local pub. It was bloody unfair.

Hermione couldn't help but frown. She knew a lot of her friends would be fucking tonight, followers of the Old Ways or not. Beltane was sort of the magical equivalent of St. Valentine's Day. So all over England, wizards and witches would be in the arms of their loved ones enjoying the sweaty enjoyment of sex.

Hermione felt a sadness well up in her. Not all of her friends would be so pleasantly engaged. She knew Ginny was in Luxembourg at a match and Harry was touring the Miskatonic University in Massachusetts. A brief moment she wished she had gone with him under the pretext of helping with education reform. Then they might…

Hermione brutally shoved down that half-formed thought as she took another long pull on her drink. Those types of thoughts only lead to sleepless nights and the occasional crying jag in her office. She had made her bed and she now had to lie in it.

Of course more and more that bed felt like a prison. Ron pushed her away as he practically kept her chained to him. When it came to him, Ron was content to work for his brothers (even as he complained about it) while doing little else but drinking and helping out at St. George's with their Quidditch program. He came and went as he pleased.

When it came to her, however, Ron had taken to almost stalking her. He practically demanded to know her schedule and was always checking in by floo call when she was at home. If he would learn how to use a cell phone, Hermione was sure he'd call her every day while she was at school. He'd even taken to showing up at Cambridge even though she knew he hated being around that many Muggles. Worse was how he seemed suspicious of anything and everything between her and Harry.

Then there was the sex. When they first began dating she had been surprised how quickly Ron had pushed for intercourse. Hermione knew, while not bigots, the Weasleys were very traditional and so it was odd that a child of Molly's would break with the tradition of sex before marriage. She hadn't complained because Ron had turn out to be an energetic lover. A bit rough at times but while she wouldn't admit it to anyone, Hermione kind of liked it that way.

Now their sex seemed to be another problem between them. Hermione's schedule made it such where she rarely had the energy during the weekday and Ron was often tired and banged up from Quidditch on the weekends. Of course Ron blamed her for the lack of sex. Worse was there was more and more of a feeling of rage in Ron while they had sex.

Hermione had her own fantasies of being dominated and controlled and didn't mind a bit of rough sexual play. With Ron, however, she was starting to feel a bit threatened by him during sex. Instead of sexual passion, there was a feeling of menace as if the famous Weasley temper was going to erupt at any time. This was probably another reason she was alone in a pub getting pissed; she didn't want to face Ron on a night it was almost expected for Magicals to have sex.

Hermione finished off her beer and signaled Florence for another round. The owner's wife gave her a questioning look but then shrugged before turning to pour her another round. Hermione snorted; Florence was more used to seeing Ron getting pissed here rather than her.

Florence came over with her drink, "There you go, Incipient Dr. Granger!"

Hermione smiled at Florence's nickname for her. She still had a years to go before she got her doctorate but she did like it when the older woman called her that. "Thanks Florence. Lively crowd for a Tuesday."

Florence didn't return the smile, "You going to be okay love? Not like you to be here in your cups unlike your boy. Ronnie getting on your tits these days?"

Hermione grimaced, "Something like that."

Florence patted her shoulder, "Never figured out how a right smart girl like you ended up in the fens of all places. Your wasted out here, love. You might think about why you're here."

Hermione looked up at her curiously. She knew Florence's family had lived in the area for generations. While a Muggle, she knew about magic since the Wizarding village of Wicken Lode comprised a lot of the people in the area even if they did mostly keep to themselves. In fact one of the reasons Wicken Fen was the oldest nature preserve in the UK was because the locals had seen it as a good way to keep Muggles away.

Florence smiled at her confusion. "I can see why a bloke like old Ronnie likes it out here. I've been down to West County visiting relatives. Your man didn't really move very far outside his comfort zone now did he? Things move slowly around here and we like it that way. Ronnie is like that too."

Florence shook her head and looked at her fondly, "But you? Now you are a bird who needs to fly. While you are going to be at Uni for quite a few more years your mind is always flying this way and that. I think you need to do a bit more flying outside that pretty head of yours than being out here with us common folk. We're a pedestrian lot by nature and it works for us. It's obviously not working for you."

Hermione looked away from the older woman's kindly face, "I'm where I need to be, Florence." Even as she said it, she realized that she didn't really believe that. For some reason the look on Crookshanks' face from the other day came back to her.

Florence sat down next to her. "Hermione, dear, you know what I think? I think you've let yourself be enchanted by the Will o' the Wisp."

"I what?" Hermione asked. She knew the dangers of the Wisps. Many a Magical and Muggle had died out in the fens chasing the pernicious fairies. That the older woman knew of them didn't surprise Hermione. Florence had a few Magicals and Squibs in her family. She had also lived in the area her entire life. So it wasn't a shock she knew of the Will o' the Wisps.

"Do you know how the Wisps trick you into following, dearie?" Florence asked.

Hermione frowned. She tried to remember a conversation about them she had had with Luna back at Hogwarts but the beer was making it hard to think. She finally shook her head.

Florence nodded indulgently, "You see Hermione, most people think the Wisps enchant you and overpower your will with their own. It isn't like that at all. No, the Wisps make you convince yourself to follow. Most probably think of how much money they'll get if they catch one. I may not know a lot about your people but I know a potions master or one of those dark wizards would soil themselves to get a Wisp. I'm sure us normal people think of the money and fame for proving fairies exist. Either way the Wisp entices them out and next thing you know the poor soul ends up face down in the fen or a fae folk themselves after being tricked to eat from their table."

Hermione looked confused. "What does that have to do with me?"

Florence reached out and took her hand, "Because Hermione, love, I think you've convinced yourself for all the wrong reasons to stay with old Ronnie Weasley. I don't know why but I see it. I may be just a barmaid out in the middle of nowhere but I've seen it all. I might as well have a shiny degree in marriage counseling because I've helped many a lad and lass through every matter of the heart. You dear, are punishing yourself for something and it breaks my heart to see it."

Hermione stared dumbly at the woman old enough to be her grandmother.

Florence stood and patted her on the shoulder, "Now love, do remember to stop by after you finally done the right thing. I know it's a bit out of the way once you have settled yourself down in Cambridge but I think I've got my man almost convinced to put in one of those floo thingies out back. A lot of us are right fond of you, dearie, so we'd hate to never see you again."

Hermione just watched as Florence took her empty pint glass and went over to another table to see if they needed anything. If her mind was an old LP record, Hermione would be sure it was skipping. Here she had been drinking and feeling sorry for herself all the while dangerous and long pent up thoughts danced at the edge of her consciousness. Then Florence just came up and put voice to them.

She needed to have it out with Ron. If he didn't commit to some serious change then she needed to leave him. It was as simple as that.

Hermione sat there stunned while the pub patrons laughed and drank around here. Yet in her own bubble of thought, she might have well been on the moon. For so long she had stayed with Ron for various reason, making excuses for him and her own behavior.

Yet now it was so clear. Yes, she had been a stupid girl back at Hogwarts. She had made some very bad choices but Florence was right. She had to stop punishing herself for something she did six years ago. She was young and not thinking clearly. It was high time she stopped letting the events of the War overshadow her life.

She smiled to herself as she took up her drink and in one long pull drank it down. Quite a few of the patrons at the nearby tables cheer her on as they watched her do it. She gave them all an evil grin as she stood as she looked at Robert behind the bar. He nodded in understanding; he'd put it all on her tab.

With a new found resolve, Hermione headed out into the night.

**For the crown you've placed upon my head**

**Feels too heavy now**

**And I don't know what to say to you**

**But I'll smile anyhow**

**And all the time I'm thinking**

**Thinking...**

**I want to be a hunter again**

**I want to see the world alone again**

**To take a chance on life again**

**So let me go**

**UPWARE ROAD, WICKEN LODE, CAMBRIDGESHIRE – MAY 4****th**** 2004 – EVENING**

Hermione cursed as her car slipped off the poor excuse of a road and stalled in the mud. She understood the reasoning in the old days to keep Muggles away but this was ridiculous! With the more advanced rune-charged signs, Muggles would never think to go further down a road past such a sign. So why in Merlin's name was the main road into Wicken Lode still little more than a rutted, muddy bloody cow trail?

Hermione took a breath and pulled out her wand. She focused her magical power and cast a _**Wingardium Leviosa**_ on her car while slowly pressing on the gas. She smiled a bit as a scene from The Empire Strikes Back went through her mind. Most Magicals couldn't do what she was doing because they never grasped the more advanced concepts of magic. One of those precepts was in many cases size did in fact not matter at all. She could float her car as easily as she floated her feather back in First Year charms class. All it took was intent and power.

Although her car rumbled its way back onto the road as she canceled the spell, Hermione's smiled turned to a scowl. Remembering the incident over the feather reminded her of what was coming. She and Ron were going to have it out and if she was completely satisfied, she'd be backing her bags and leaving.

Hermione figured she could stay with Luna since she wasn't sure if Ginny would accept her crashing at Grimmauld Place after dumping her brother. Harry wouldn't mind of course but Hermione didn't want to make Harry choose between her and Ginny. She knew Ginny wouldn't like it when she lost. No matter what had happened between them, Hermione knew Harry would never, ever turn her away if she needed help. She just didn't want to test the red-head's temper. Ginny could be as touchy about Hermione's relationship with Harry as her brother.

As she neared the village she put on her special glasses which allowed her to see in the dark as she killed her headlights. A press of a button and her car went silent. Hermione often worked late so she had developed a few things so she could get home and not wake the sleepy little village. While she was one of the Golden Trio, Hermione had grown tired of some of the looks she got when people didn't think she was looking. Cars were far to 'new-fangled' for most of the villagers.

Hermione saw there weren't any lights on as she pulled into the car park. She frowned a bit at this before realizing Ron probably was out pub crawling in Diagon Alley since she wasn't expected home tonight. Truth be told, if the experiment had gone as planned, she probably wouldn't have been home till tomorrow evening. So Ron was probably getting pissed with the Twins and crashing in their flat above the store.

Even so she cast a silencing spell on herself in case he was home and already asleep. She'd sleep on the cot in her office. She could use the excuse how she hadn't wanted to wake him if he asked. Right now she didn't want to deal with Ron waking up and expecting some Beltane sex.

The smell of candles was the first thing Hermione noticed when she opened the door. This surprised her since she had installed the rune activated magical lights modeled after Muggle florescent lighting. Hermione's heart dropped. Had Ron heard the experiment had been cancelled and now their bedroom was adorned in candles? Ron had managed to get advice before on how to mollify her and a romantic candle-lit tryst was just sort of thing he might be told to try.

Hermione cautiously made her way towards the bedroom. She really didn't want to have it out with Ron if he was trying to make peace but she didn't see anyway around it. Even as these thoughts were playing out a rhythmic sound caught her attention. At first she wasn't sure what it was. Then blood drained out of her face as it hit her.

Someone was having sex in the master bedroom.

Hermione found her wand suddenly in her hand as she crept closer to the master bedroom. As she did, she could hear a woman crying out dirty encouragements. Right before Hermione could peek through the door, she could hear Ron give out a pleasure filled moan.

The door was opened enough to where she could squeeze through if she was careful. She silently cast her most powerful disillusionment charm on herself. She hadn't cast this spell since right before their capture by Snatchers back in the War. Unseen and silent, Hermione snuck into the room.

She found the room filled with candles and on the bed Lavender Brown bucking up and down on Ron who was feeling up her bouncing breasts. Lavender's ample bottom made dirty slapping sounds as she impaled herself harder and harder on Ron's cock. From the moans she was making it was obvious she was getting close to orgasm.

Hermione tore her gaze away to see two empty vials of _Like Stone! Pepper-up_ potion on the night stand. Ron never could seem to get it up after his first orgasm without help so it was obvious the pair had been going at it for awhile now. Fucking in _her_ bed of all things!

Lavender gave out a gasp, "Ron-Ron! I'm cumming! Yeah, yeah, oh yes! Merlin yes!"

Hermione watched as a familiar look came on Ron's face. It was obvious Lavender's thrashing was pushing him over the edge as well. She just watched as the two thrashed as they both orgasmed in a sweaty torrent of gasps and cries to Merlin. Finally Lavender collapsed onto Ron's chest before rolling off. Ron's rapidly shrinking cock plopped out of her with a rather disgusting sound. Their juices staining the expensive silken sheets.

The two sat there and panted for a bit. Hermione just watched them. She was numb and furious at the same time. She wanted to hex them both but Hermione found she wanted to hear them talk. Was this their first tryst or had Ron been fucking behind her back for some time now?

She watched as Lavender rolled over and nuzzled Ron who was obviously fighting off the urge to nod off…as usual. "Ron-Ron…are you sure Hermione won't be home tonight?"

"I told you, sweetie, the old bookworm probably won't be home till tomorrow night at the earliest. She's going to be up to her bushy head in stupid reports and figures with Su Li all night." Ron assured her.

Lavender giggled, "Do you think she and Su Li ever do it? I mean it sounds like she sees Su Li more than you."

Ron scowled, "I doubt it. She's become such a cold fish I doubt dosing her with Amortentia would make her give you more than a peck on the cheek."

Lavender laughed nastily at this, "I bet she masturbates with a book! She even had a list of when to do it back at Hogwarts. '10:30 charms homework; 11:30 jill off; 11:35 potions homework' It was rather pathetic!"

Ron leaned over and snogged her for a bit before breaking the kiss, "Why did I give you up over her again?"

"Because your sister was probably using potions on you both so she could nab the Boy-Who-Lived?" Lavender purred.

Ron laughed, "I wouldn't have put it past her. Mum always did joke about having to use a potion or two to get Dad to stop tinkering around with Muggle crap and notice her at school. I'm sure Harry needed the same kick in the arse."

Hermione felt like her heart leapt into her throat. Was Ron serious? Could Ginny, one of her best friends back at school, actually have used potions on her to get her interested in Ron so she could snag Harry? Harry had seemed to suddenly become interested in the red-head at the same time as her increased interest in Ron. The more Hermione thought about it, the more it seemed plausible. Harry had spent more time and had a special connection with Luna then he had with Ginny yet by the end of the year he was snogging her in the middle of the common room after Gryffindor won that match.

"So when can we be together, Ron-Ron?" Lavender's whining voice interrupted Hermione's thoughts. This was the sort of thing she had wanted to hear.

"Soon, sweetie, soon," Ron soothed. "Hermy got Harry to set me up with a shot as reserve chaser for the Cannons. I don't want to bollix that up by dumping Harry's bookworm before I get my shot. After that I think it will be easy. She's always off at school and I'll be on the road. A few months of that and I'll spin her some shitte about how I don't think it's fair we are always apart and perhaps we should have a trial separation. This way no one will suspect and I'll score points for being the mature one. As long as we're discreet for a bit, we'll be golden."

Lavender pouted, "I'm tired of sneaking around. Bad enough Fred almost caught us back in February!"

Ron chuckled, "No worries, Lav. I covered for both Fred and George when they were ass over teakettle in hookers during Lee Jordan's bachelor party. They won't say boo because one word to Mum and they'll be in the shitte for months which means no Sunday dinners at home for free food!"

Lavender looked at him suspiciously, "Were you knee-deep in hookers that night?"

Ron kissed Lavender, "Why would I when I have the prettiest and sexist gal in our entire year on my arm?"

Hermione couldn't help but snort at this. She was glad of her silence spell. Hermione could tell Lavender hadn't figured out the signs of when Ron was lying. Beyond cheating on her with Lavender, Ron had obviously been with those call girls so popular with the Pureblood gentry. The same ones who were such good family men in front of the Wizengamot. Both she, Neville and Harry hated every last one of them.

Lavender reached down to Ron's shrunken penis. "How about you show me how much you appreciate me? We've still got plenty of potion left!"

Ron yawned, "How about we get some sleep first, love?"

Lavender pouted and then her eyes began to droop, "Uhm…okay…that actually sounds quite…nice…" Lavender's head collapsed on Ron's chest. Ron himself was already snoring.

Hermione lowered her wand. The pair wouldn't wake naturally for over eight hours or until she cancelled her spell. She had a lot to do and she wasn't about to watch another round of Ron-Ron soiling her bed with a tramp like Lavender. The bitch was already turning into her generation's version of Rita Skeeter.

Hermione cancelled her spells and made her way to the kitchen. Sure enough she found a very put out Crookshanks locked up in his travel cage. At least it was like your typical magical tent and had food, water and a litter box. However neither Hermione nor Crookshanks were in the mood to give any credit to Ron's thoughtfulness in this.

Hermione let her familiar out and petted him till he calmed down. "Don't worry Crookshanks; this is the last time you'll have to put up with that ginger git." She smiled at the look he gave her as his tail began to twitch in excitement.

Hermione touched a small stone on the bracelet she always wore on her right arm and said in a firm voice, "Dobby!" The stone allowed her to call Dobby even though he had bound himself to Harry. She now knew the magical reason for it even as she never had stopped working on improving the lot of house-elves. Beyond the stone, the bracelet could act as an emergency portkey. After the incident with the Snatchers, Hermione was never without one.

After a moment there was a pop and the familiar elf appeared. "How may I be helping the Great Harry Potter's Grangy?"

Hermione knelt and carefully hugged the elf, "How are you doing Dobby? Has your side been bothering you lately?"

"Oh no Mistress Grangy, Dobby's side bez much better! Winky bez being sure I bez not straining it. Master Harry always being kind to Dobby and gives Dobby time to rest when Dobby is hurting!"

Hermione smiled at this. Dobby had nearly died by Bellatrix's cursed dagger. Thankfully Harry had the presence of mind to call for Winky who had barely been able to stabilize him. Even now years later, Dobby still hadn't fully recovered.

"Dobby, I was hoping you and Winky could do me a big favor. Mr. Weasley has done a very, very bad thing and I'm leaving him. Can you figure out what is mine and what is his and box everything up and store them at Grimmauld Place? I know Harry and Ginny aren't there, but I just need a place to put my stuff till I get a flat."

Dobby bounced up and down and snapped his fingers. When Winky appeared the two elves dropped into low tones and spoke in the language very few wizards knew. Winky looked up at her, "Would Mistress bez liking me to pack your trunk for a long stay over?"

Hermione beamed down at the little elf, "Yes that would be lovely Winky. If the pair of you have any questions about what is mine or Ron's or if it is something shared, please let me know and I'll decided. Oh and be careful of Mr. Weasley and Ms. Brown in the bedroom. I don't want them woken."

Dobby and Winky looked at each other and both broke out in angry frowns, "Doez Mistress wantz the bad Weasel to bez dumped in the fen?"

Hermione chuckled, "No Dobby but thank you for offering. Don't worry; I'll be creating a rather inventive way to show the two they shouldn't have crossed Hermione Jane Granger!"

Hermione went into her office to grab a few things as the two elves busied themselves in packing up the house. While Ron 'paid all the bills' the truth is Hermione had a great deal of money from her parents. A good chunk of her education was paid for by scholarships she had earned and she made money from tutoring as well as a few spells she had created and licensed out. Thus most of the stuff in the house had been bought by her. Except for some tools, his recliner and a few things Molly had given them over the years, Ron was going to find the house quite empty come the morning.

She caught Dobby as he was packing up the kitchen and told him to leave the bed even though she had bought it. Hermione couldn't stand to think of trying to sleep on it without having to remember Ron and Lavender straining and groaning. Besides she had evil plans for it.

Hermione sat down at the kitchen table (another thing she'd leave) and thought up her revenge. Ron had obviously forgotten the lesson Marietta Edgecombe had learned back in their Fifth Year! She smiled at the idea of woman scorned that had access to a wand!

Finally everything was packed and the decisions of what would stay had been made. Hermione bade the two elves good-bye and promised she'd floo down to London after class tomorrow. After the two left, taking Crookshanks with them, Hermione got to work.

She went into the master bathroom and spelled the mirror to enhance images in the way the newer Muggle high-definition televisions did. Now every time Lavender did her make-up in the mirror, every flaw, every wrinkle would seem to leap out at here.

She spelled the refrigerator to randomly mask a quarter of the food in it so every time it was opened, different things would be missing. She cursed Ron's recliner so his bladder would act like it was a quarter its actual size. Let see how much PV Ron could watch when he had to constantly go to the loo!

She spelled the drawers on both nightstands so that any lubrication stored in them would feel gritty like it had very fine sand in it. Hermione was rather proud of this spell considering it was an on the spot creation by combing two spells and a hex.

Hermione turned her attention to the witch and wizard sleeping on the bed. She knew she couldn't curse Ron because he often had to take a magical purgative for product testing at WWW. Hexing Lavender was a bit legally dicey. So instead she spelled the bed to make Ron's penis more sensitive. Now he'd shoot off far sooner than normal. Hermione chuckled nastily. She doubted Lavender would get much satisfaction if Ron would shoot off almost as soon as he entered her.

Thinking about Ron's sexual habits caused Hermione to go to the bathroom and curse the shower so it would run out of hot water twice as fast if there were two people in the stall at one time. For good measures she spelled the toilet to magnify any sound coming from it. She knew Lavender hated hearing any sounds coming from the other bathroom stalls when they were back at Hogwarts. She rarely used the toilet if other girls where in it. Knowing Ron like she did, she was in for a treat!

This thought led her to spelling the pillows to enhance the sound of Ron's snoring. Then for good measure she spelled the old alarm clock Ron tended to ignore anyway and made it so every night it would run slow from 2am till 4am but would snap back to the current time as soon as it started ringing. Ron was a terrible morning person; Hermione was sad she wouldn't see him trying to rush to work till he figured out what she had done.

For the next half hour or so, Hermione just let herself wander the house leaving subtle curses and hexes. By the time she left, she was sure Ron would never forget why she was considered the brightest witch of her generation.

As she was about to leave Hermione paused. No, she wasn't going to slink out like a thief in the night even with all her traps. She made her way back to the bedroom and cast another spell on Lavender to ensure she didn't wake. She then cast an enervate on Ron.

With a snort Ron woke to find Hermione glowering down at him; her wand steady and drawing a bead between his eyes. "What the…? BLOODY HELL!"

Hermione smirked, "Bloody hell indeed. The sort of hell brought upon men who can't keep it in their pants. The hell only a woman cheated on can bring down. I'll be brief, Ronald Bilius Weasley. I am shot of you. You've never been one to listen to me but you really need to listen to me now. I do not want to see your face, hear your voice or accept any messagse from you for a few months. Failure to heed this warning would be…_**unwise**_."

Ron's eyes went wide, "But 'Mione!"

The tip of Hermione's wand suddenly lit up with an evil red glow, "Not another word!" Hermione hissed. "I stayed with you for as long as I did because I felt I had made my bed and I had to lie in it. Now I come to find Lavender in it. So I'm gone. I've paid for my mistakes and I leave you to Lavender's questionable charms. I'm not going to say anything to Harry about all this other than I'm through with you. I'm not about to get in the way of you, Harry or your sister even if she may have used potions on us."

Ron's eyes bugged out as it dawned on him Hermione had heard his earlier comments, "Hermione, I…"

Hermione's wand came down in a viscous slash and Ron suddenly found his lips had disappeared like he didn't have a mouth. All he could do was make frightened squeaks.

"Ronald, there is nothing more to say. You whored behind my back as you used me to get access to Harry's largesse. No more. We. Are. Through. If I hear even the hint of you bad-mouthing me you will find taking away your mouth is the least of what I will do to you. If you think the Twin's little prank products are bad then you truly do not understand what I am capable of. Doubt me if you dare. I'm rather hoping you do."

Hermione waved her wand and Ron's mouth reappeared. Ron gasped out and began to almost hyperventilate. She smiled nastily down at him, "So this is good-bye Ron. I wish I could say it's been fun but like Harry, I cannot tell lies. For old times sake I wish you well. I'm sure Lavender will make a fine wife; one your mother will be so proud of."

This time it was obvious Ron heard and understood the sarcasm dripping from Hermione's words. He just sullenly looked up at her.

Hermione smiled, "No snappy comeback? Good! You can be taught! Good doggy! Now! Time to sleep! _**Stupefy**_!"

With a satisfied smirk, Hermione watch Ron's eyes go vacant as he collapsed back onto the bed. Another flick of her wand and Hermione ensured he'd sleep till morning. Hermione left the room while humming happily to herself.

She didn't look back.

_**Wants to be a hunter again**_

_**I want to see the world alone again**_

_**To take a chance on life again**_

_**So let me go...**_

**FIVE MILES FROM ANYWHERE PUB, CAMBRIDGESHIRE – MAY 4****th**** 2004 – LATE EVENING**

Hermione walked into the pub to find it filled with even more people than when she had left. The jukebox was belting out some raunchy tune which suited her mood just fine. Maybe she might get some Beltane magic for herself tonight after all!

She spied Florence over in a corner talking to a patron and she eagerly made her way over to her. Just as the old woman turned to see her, Hermione gave her one of her bone-crushing hugs. She hugged her as if in some ways the bodily contact could convey her thanks.

She finally looked up to see her surprised face. She impishly gave her a kiss on the cheek before turning to the crowd watching her and roaring out, "Drinks are on me!'

A cheer welled up from the patrons as Hermione turned back to see Florence smiling at her proudly. "So my dear Incipient Dr. Granger…what can I get you?"

"Something to celebrate freedom, Florence. Go wild," Hermione said with a grin. She turned towards the crowd to find quite a few of the unattached men looking at her with interest in their eyes.

Hermione chuckled to herself. Little did they know she was a hunter on the prowl! A lioness free at last. And this lion was hungry!

**XxXxX**

**A/N**: I hope the below isn't too much. I do like to show where I get a lot of my stuff if only to show other authors some of the resources or things which can be done. I'm not stroking my ego by going, "Oh look at me! I can use Google and Wikipedia!"

**Procuvisim**: Latin for _far vision_ which is the Magical version of television. Usually referred to as the PV. When thinking about televised Quidditch matches, it made me wonder since Omniculars can slow down actions; does that mean coaches have people watching so they can challenge a missed foul? The mind boggles at what someone like John Madden would do on a magical equivalent of a white board to show who went where and why during a play! =0

**Bicorns**: A horned magical animal whose horn is often used in potions. While not canonical, I see them having dark and light stripes. Because of these stripes Magicals disparagingly refer to referees as such in the same way refs are sometimes called zebras in the US.

**WWW**: Like in my other fics, I changed the name to Weasley Wizard Whizzes since Wheezes sounds like a lung disease. While I understand that a _wizard wheeze_ is a British idiom for a good joke I like to think of Whizzes as a take off of whiz-bang. That and whiz is British slang for amphetamines which might explain some of the Twins manic behavior.

**Fred Weasley**: It is obvious that Fred didn't die in this AU take. I really don't think that many DE's would have made it into the castle considering my views on centaur archery accuracy. So there are a quite a few people who didn't die who did in canon, like Colin.

**FREE Initiative**: Freedom, Rights, Education, Equality – The son of SPEW which is a plan to help house-elves away from forced servitude.

**Five Miles From Anywhere Pub**: Yes, this exists. Google Maps to a writer's rescue!

**St George**: This is one of the "Saint" schools; specifically St. George's Magical School of England. It is located in the Epping Forest bordering London and Essex.

**Hermione Goes Wild**: I think this was a bit of a shout out to the great scene in _Earth Girls Are Easy_ when Gina Davis' character shows what a woman scorned is capable of!


End file.
